Thank You AJ
by Drace929
Summary: One interpretation of AJ retiring following Wrestlemania. (Rated M for mild language)


**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back with a quick one-shot. Just one interpretation of AJ leaving. Enjoy! And obviously I don't own anything :)**

* * *

**Retiring**

* * *

AJ sat in the locker room backstage after filming Smackdown immediacy following Raw. The scripted dig from the Bella's wasn't much of a shock to her since it was something she had been hearing since she got back. Before the lawsuit Doctor Amann filled against Punk people would at least say it behind her back but since WWE was now publicly backing Amann, who was wildly popular with the guys and girls backstage no one cared to hold their tongue.

A night like this she would just go back to the hotel and talk to Punk until she fell asleep but even he was mad at her. He wasn't mad because she was back at work, well he was, but he was more upset that she still wasn't healed from her neck injury and was back at work. AJ would also be lying if she said it was easy being back these last few weeks while he was training for the UFC. He had to be in Texas the last week she was off and she didn't get to see him at all. She did get to stay home with Larry who kept her company but it wasn't the same. She missed him terribly and being back at work added a lot of tension because even though he didn't say it out loud he was angry she went back at all.

After her comments to Stephanie on Twitter she was told to report back to work for a meeting that following Monday and she would be back on TV. She had tried to fight it off saying her neck wasn't healed but they said they'd have her checked by their own doctor. Punk insisted she blow off but when they threatened a lawsuit she packed her bags and caved. Punk was more than willing to fight another lawsuit and he actually seemed eager to do so but she couldn't do that. They would be buried in legal bills and leaving without some sort of goodbye to her fans.

To add insult to injury she accidentally unfollowed Punk on Twitter so now everyone was gossiping about her martial status. Were she and Punk perfect? No, not even close but the fact that people felt their marriage was over because of social media glitch drove her nuts and worst of all she just knew Punk thought she did it on purpose as well since he wasn't answering her calls or texts. She had no friends backstage and now she couldn't even get her husband to talk to her, tonight went from bad to worse.

"AJ" Paige greeted with her bag in her hand "Want a ride back to the hotel?"

"Aren't you filming Total Divas?" AJ asked her only friend back here

"Yea but I'll just tell them to film around you" Paige reasoned

"No it's ok I'll get a ride from someone else" AJ assured her and Paige screwed her face at her

"From who?" Paige laughed "Stephanie and Hunter willing to give you a lift?" she teased. Stephanie and Hunter both hadn't spoken a word to her upon her return not even Vince dared to look her way. They were still angry over the Tweets.

"I got it covered it's fine" AJ said with a forced smile

"Are you sure you're alright?" Paige asked her "You just seem so sad. Are you and Punk really having problems?" AJ looked up to her and she regretted her words already "I'm sorry it's not my business"

"No it's fine" AJ said to her "And no at least I don't think so. I really just miss him."

"So give him a call" Paige encouraged "I guess there isn't anyway you can talk him into hanging out with you during Wrestlemania weekend?"

"No" AJ laughed shaking her head "He wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near a WWE sponsored event"

"It sucks it has to be this way" Paige said feeling sympathy for her friend

"Paige we have to go" Nikki said walking out the door with her bag in her hand

"Yea I'm coming" Paige said then looked back at AJ "Are you sure you don't need a ride? I don't think Emma left yet or Summer"

"No I'm good" AJ said to her "I'll see you at Axxess I'm sure"

"Ok bye" Paige smiled then walked away.

* * *

AJ had called for a cab but was told it would be about an hour wait. She kept checking her phone to see if she had any missed calls or messages from Punk but there was nothing. She fought back tears as she looked at the time and just waited. AJ watched as the superstars exited the arena and none offered her ride but she wouldn't have accepted one from them anyway it only saved her from an awkward situation. Almost an hour and a half later AJ decided to call Punk since she was still waiting in a now almost empty parking lot and it was almost three in the morning but it went right to voicemail like most of her calls did tonight.

"Hi it's me- again" AJ started off "Look I'm sorry about the Twitter thing it was an accident I swear" she said desperately "I just wanted to…look I'm here in the parking lot it's getting chilly, it's almost three and I miss you" she choked out tears "I miss you and I love you and I want to be home with you" she was now full on crying "It's horrible here and no one will talk to me and Nikki said the most awful things" she looked up at the sky and sucked in a breath to control her crying "But that's not why I'm calling I just needed to hear your voice. Please call me I don't care what time it is. I'll never make it through this week without you" she then hung up and jumped when she felt someone touch her shoulder.

"Sorry" a familiar face smiled "I thought that was you" Seth Rollins smirked "What are you still doing here?" AJ looked over and saw his new girlfriend or mistress-whatever she was, Zahra standing a few feet away holding onto her bag.

"I'm just waiting for a ride" AJ said quickly wiping her tears away from her face

"At this time?" Seth joked "If you're going to the hotel I'll give you a lift"

"It's ok" AJ said to him "Seriously my cab should be here in any minute"

"Why pay for a ride when me and Zahra are going to the same place?" Seth asked her "Look I know now what it feels like to be the latest piece of gossip backstage" he said to her with a sympathetic smile "Only went away when you came back actually" he teased

"Glad I could help" she smiled lightly

"We've known each other a long time AJ" Seth reminded her "No matter what shit is going on with your husband and this company you don't deserve to be left hanging out in a dark parking lot by yourself. Just let us give you a ride"

"You might be shunned next" AJ warned

"Please I've done my share of bitching and complaining" Seth laughed "Come on" he said grabbing her bag from her and nodded for her to follow him. AJ decided to give in and gratefully accept the generous ride.

* * *

Once AJ walked into her hotel room she dropped her stuff by the door and jumped onto her bed. She was truly exhausted filming two shows in one night and her mind still wasn't in the right place since she had yet to hear from Punk. She looked at her phone again and her eyes lit up with excitement when she saw she had a missed three phone calls and a voicemail but when she viewed the number it wasn't her husbands number it wasn't a blocked number but it wasn't a familiar number either. She didn't even recognize the area code. She decided to listen to the voicemail anyway and then would go to sleep.

_'Ape it's me' the voice of Punk caused her heart to swell 'I dropped my fucking phone again and since I'm staying in Milwaukee tonight I can't even get it fixed. I was training late when I listened to my messages and I don't know what you're talking about with this Twitter thing but I'm concerned about you hanging out in a parking lot at almost three and now since you're not answering my calls I'm only more worried. Please call me at this number its my hotel room number. If you don't call me by the morning I'm going to have to grab Larry and we'll go on a manhunt looking for you. I know you're upset and I know it's been tough but don't cry because you know I hate that, just call me and remember I love you too'._

The next voicemail that played was a little shorter but it did show how much he cared.

_'April it's me again" he groaned 'I'm really getting worried here. I hope you're not answering because you're safely tucked away in your hotel room sleeping this shitty night off but my mind is running and I can't sleep until I know you're ok. Can you please call me?'_

Just as AJ was about to call the number, her phone lit up and there was that unfamiliar number, she quickly answered it.

"AJ?" Punk asked hopefully

"Who else would it be?" she teased

"You scared the shit out of me tonight" Punk said annoyed "Where are you?"

"I just got back to the hotel and listened to your voicemails" AJ said to him "My cab never showed though"

"If you tell me you walked-" Punk started in a warning voice

"Seth gave me a ride" AJ said to him

"Good I'm glad" Punk said to her "You need to work out your travel arrangements better Ape" he said to her

"It's not going to be a problem" AJ said to him

"You figured something out already? Not that I don't trust you but if your plan is to travel with Seth Rollins from town to town people will really think we're divorcing" Punk said nervously

"No" she laughed "I had a lot of time to think tonight and I'm leaving"

"Leaving the hotel?" he asked her

"No the company" she told him

"AJ it's late" Punk laughed lightly "Sleep on it"

"I don't need to sleep on it. I hate being away from you and Larry, I hate being with these people they're all horrible" AJ admitted "My neck hurts, I can't even fight back and defend myself anymore" she sighed "I'm beaten down Phil"

"I get that" Punk said to her "This hasn't been great for us I know but we'll get past this we just need to settle into a routine-"

"I don't want a new routine" she said to him softly "I like my old one"

"What old one?" Punk questioned

"The one where we would wake up and go running before your training every morning" she smiled into the phone "Then we shower together after, on Wednesday you take me and now Larry with you to Milwaukee- I miss that"

"I miss it too" Punk admitted "I hate doing this without you"

"So you don't have to" AJ said to him "I'll leave"

"This has been your dream" Punk pointed out

"I can't work in a place that has it out for my husband. Wrestling was my dream but you're my life" she told him honestly "I belong with you not here with them. Don't you want me home?"

"Nothing would make me happier" Punk said almost cheerfully "But I don't want you to look back at this moment and resent me for it either"

"That won't happen. I make my own decisions" She said proudly

"So let's just say hypothetically you do leave, what are you going to do? I know you're going to get bored just being at home" Punk pointed out

"I'm going to finish up the edits on my book" AJ said to him "And then who knows. Maybe just decompress a bit. I know I haven't been working much this last year but it will be nice to unpack my bags for good and not worry about missing a day of running."

"I'll support you with anything" Punk assured her "So when are you going to tell them?"

"Soon because I just found out they booked me for the UK tour after promising me they wouldn't" AJ said to him and she could hear him cursing to himself

"You've barely wrestled because your neck is still fucked up and now they're sending you half way across the globe so you can wrestle every fucking night without a break-" he ranted

"I'm not going" she assured him "I'll tell them right after my match at Wrestlemania. I'm afraid if I tell them before they'll make me lose"

"I get it" Punk said to her "But I don't want you in the ring that long" he admitted "I am really afraid about your neck"

"I wasn't planning on doing much anyway, I want Paige to have her moment" AJ told him "She's worked her ass off for this, I had my moment last year"

"You know if you tell them you want to leave there's a damn good chance they won't let you, right?" he asked her

"I'm not doing another UK tour" AJ said firmly "The last one was horrible I couldn't even get out of bed most mornings-"

"I know AJ" He said cutting her off "It was brutal. But if you want to leave and they threaten you with a lawsuit and you still want to go promise me you'll go. I don't care what the repercussions are we'll face it together"

"Ok" she said sweetly

"Now get some sleep I know you have a big week ahead of you" Punk said to her

"I'm really going to miss you" AJ said sadly

"Don't worry" Punk said to her "Soon enough you'll be home for good" and she smiled at those words "Larry misses you too"

"I miss both my boys" AJ said to him

"You miss more though, right?" He asked unsurely

"I miss both my boys" she repeated in the same tone then laughed "Yes you big baby I miss you the most"

"Just wanted to hear it" he defended childishly "I love you get some sleep"

"I love you too. But how will I get in touch with you tomorrow?" she asked

"I'm driving home early tomorrow and having it fixed. I'll call you as soon as it's done" Punk promised

"Goodnight" She said feeling much better and she knew she was making the right decision.

"Night" He responded then hung up.

* * *

On Tuesday after posting what her Wrestlemania schedule was going to be she found out that WWE cancelled her Q&amp;A. She was told from Mark it was because WWE doesn't trust what she may or may not say in front of audience and it's best to not do it all. Now here she was on Tuesday and had nothing to do until Friday, she really could have just gone home but it was too late for that. She was now stuck with comics and DVDs for days. Even if she did want to spend time with Paige or some of the NXT Diva's they were all booked up already until the Hall of Fame, which of course AJ was again not invited to. She was sure it was because the McMahon's couldn't stand the sight of her but AJ didn't complain. If her husband wasn't welcomed there she didn't want to be there either. AJ smiled when her phone lit up and saw Punk calling.

"Hi" she said cheerfully

"You're in a good mood for someone who has been banished to their hotel room for days" Punk teased

"It's not a big deal" she shrugged "I'd rather be by myself anyway"

"Really?" he asked her

"Yea I ordered up room service and I've got the Walking Dead comics you snuck into my bag, thank you by the way" she said to him

"Oh no problem" He said to her.

"Hold on a sec babe my room service is here" She said walking to the door and opening it.

"Not your food, sorry" Punk teased slipping his phone into his jean pocket

"Phil!" She squealed jumping into his arms

"Missed me?" he teased holding her tightly

"So much" she said pulling away and then cupping his face and pulling him into a searing kiss.

"This kiss is awesome but let's move it inside" Punk smirked pushing her back into her room.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him

"You had some free days and I know you wouldn't be doing much so I thought I'd come keep you company" he shrugged

"That's amazing of you, thank you" she grinned then looked alarmed "Where's Larry?"

"I left a big bowl of food and water in the kitchen and newspaper on the floor" he said seriously then AJ slapped his arm "He's with my sister" he assured her "I was going to bring him but this hotel isn't pet friendly"

"How long are you here for?" AJ asked

"I'll leave Friday morning" Punk said to her "Because I'm missing these days training I'll make them up over the weekend"

"You really came down here to just hang out with me?" AJ asked blushing slightly

"I was hoping for a little more then hanging out" Punk admitted dropping his small bag

"Did you travel all of this way for sex?" she asked folding her arms and narrowing her eyes at him

"No" he defended quickly "I mean it would be nice…" he added innocently looking at the floor "I actually came for moral support"

"It means a lot to me" AJ said to him "And this way you can read the Walking Dead comics to me" she said happily

"I traveled across the country so I can spend two entire days locked in a small hotel room so I can sit here and read comics to my very spoiled wife?" he asked her seriously and she nodded and gave him a cute smile

"You read them with such great voices" she smiled "Whenever we have children you're going to be in charge of the bedtime story" she informed him

"Deal" he smirked

"Do you want me to order you up food too?" she asked him "Don't worry the room service charges are covered by WWE" she teased and he smiled

"In that case order me the most expensive steak on the menu" he said to her causing her to laugh

"You don't eat steak" she said still giggling

"I know which is why you can order me up Salmon as well. I'll put the steak away and bring it home for Larry" he smirked

* * *

On Thursday night AJ was resting on top of Punk's bare body panting after having an hour long sexual send-off. They'd only be apart a few more days but she wanted to give him something to remember her by with.

"Did that convince you to stay the rest of the weekend?" AJ asked with a wide grin.

"Actually it convinced me to stuff you into my luggage and take you back home with me" Punk said seriously "Seriously that was amazing" he said running his hand down her hair "I am so glad I decided to fly out"

"Me too" AJ said resting her chin on his chest gazing into his eyes "You made this very bearable for me, thank you" she said nipping his lips

"It sucks they didn't give you much to do this weekend. I know you love this week" Punk frowned

"It's ok" AJ said to him "I have a lot to look forward to"

"Are you getting nervous about telling them?" Punk asked her

"Nope" AJ said "Because I know no matter what you've got my back"

"Damn right" He said proudly

"I'm going to tell them right after my match Sunday" AJ said to him "I'll tell Mark and he'll tell Vince. I probably won't even have to deal with any of them"

"I hope it's easy for you" Punk said to her "And remember call the lawyer before you sign anything" he must have said that about five times to her these last two days

"I know and I will" AJ promised

"So I know you're going to be writing your book" Punk started off "But I also know you love fighting, have you considered UFC?"

"I would be lying if I said it hadn't crossed my mind" AJ admitted

"You're in the best shape of your life too" Punk said to her with a grin "Your abs are absolutely insane"

"I know you like them I can tell by how you licked them all night" she giggled

"I'm just saying I'm sure Dana would sit down with you" Punk shrugged

"What if I didn't do that?" AJ asked

"I'd be ok with that" Punk said with a laugh "Do you have something on your mind? You want to go into a different promotion maybe? Anywhere but Japan" he warned

"No" she laughed "No wrestling"

"Acting?" he asked unsurely

"Nope" she said shaking her head

"Fashion?" he asked unsurely

"No!" She laughed again "What about starting a family?"

"You mean children?" Punk asked narrowing his eyes at her

"Well I thought we'd start with one" AJ teased "What do you think? I mean I know you're fighting but it's like you have a 9-5 to job" she shrugged giving it thought

"I thought you wanted to wait a few years?" Punk asked her

"I did but that's when I thought I'd still be with the WWE" AJ said to him

"Let's do it" Punk said without hesitation "I'm not getting any younger"

"No I can tell by the gray in your bread" she teased cupping his chin and examining his beard

"I don't have gray hair" he said swatting her hand away "Do I?"

"Just a few" She smiled

"Well I'm shaving it off for playoff season anyway" Punk said bitterly

"Good it will grow in gray" she laughed

"Keep that up and you won't be having any babies" He warned "I'll stay celibate"

"Ok" she said laughing hysterically

"Seriously though you want to have a baby?" he asked her and she nodded anxiously "Your body that you've worked so hard for will be gone"

"I'll get it back" She shrugged "I'd rather have a baby then a six pack"

"Well the minute you land back in Chicago we'll get started" Punk said to her "I'd say let's start now but you still have two more matches"

"We'll see if that even want me on Monday" AJ said to him "They might just send me packing."

"If they were smart they wouldn't" Punk said to her

"I wish you could stay" she said snuggling into him

"I know me too" Punk said to her "But if I get spotted it will take away all the attention away from you"

"I know" she sighed "But again you being here makes me feel better. I like being locked away in a hotel room with you"

"Well pretty soon we don't have to hide" he pointed out "That will be nice too"

"Yea" she agreed and gave him another kiss.

* * *

Wrestlemania came and went. AJ had just stepped backstage after her match and grabbed a water bottle and a towel to dry off her sweat. She watched as Paige embraced her mother and boyfriend. Crying in their arms as she celebrated this awesome victory, first of many AJ was sure of. She then looked across the room and the Bella's doing the same thing. AJ didn't have any family or friends here for her. But having Punk the last few days made this bearable for her. AJ also watched as tops executives congratulated Paige, Nikki and Brie on the match and completely sidestepped AJ in the process.

"Mark" AJ said as the head of talent relations passed her

"AJ I don't have much time" Mark said to her "It's Wrestlemania-"

"I think you want to hear what I have to say" AJ said firmly

"Why don't you tweet about it?" Mark asked with a smile then walked away

"I'm leaving" AJ announced loudly and even the Bella's overheard it. Mark slowly turned around to face the troubled Diva and looked at her.

"Shall we talk in private?" Mark offered in a much different voice

"Why? That's all I had to say" AJ said with a shrug then sipped her water

"My office, now" He hissed in a low voice and forced AJ to follow him.

AJ was in the meeting with Mark for about half an hour when the door opened and Vince McMahon himself walked in. AJ was stunned that he had taken time away from the big show to speak to her but it was almost time for the main-event and she was sure he trusted Hunter and Stephanie to run the show.

"I don't have much time" Vince said taking a seat "I wish I could say I'm surprised by this news" he said looking at AJ

"I'm sure you saw it coming" AJ said rather coldly

"I don't suppose I can convince you to stay? I can throw a number out there but I think it's for the best for everybody if we granted this for you" Vince said to her. AJ had to admit that it stung a bit that they didn't even want to fight to keep her. That just meant AJ made the right decision. Punk had been fighting for her since he left. "Keep this quiet for the next few days and we won't have any issues. We'll draw up papers but we're not releasing you from your contract" he told her and now AJ started to panic "You can stay home, we'll announce you're gone but we will not let you run off to the UFC like he did" he informed her seriously "Do you understand that?"

"I have no interest in the UFC" AJ said to him

"I've heard that before" Vince mumbled "And if you think you're going to go on your friends podcast and do what he did-"

"He has a name" AJ said firmly "Phil, Punk, my husband or better yet the man that made you millions" she shot the chairman. "And don't worry I wouldn't dream of being sued by you." She mocked

"It should all be settled after the UK tour" Vince said coming to his feet

"I'm not going on the tour" AJ said causing him to stop

"We just added you" Vince reminded her

"And I'm not going" she said firmly

"Can you give us a minute?" Vince asked Mark who nodded and left the room "Do you understand what kind of position you're putting me in? I'm willing to let you stay home and not sue you for breach of contract can't you meet me halfway?"

"You could have not supported the ridiculous lawsuit against my husband and his friend" AJ said to him "You don't want me in the UK, Stephanie and Hunter don't want me there and neither does the rest of the roster"

"I want you there" Vince said to her "I think you're great. As a matter of fact you got the win tonight for your team because we were going to make you a four-time Diva Champion at the next ppv, in Chicago I may add"

"That's all well in good but I want to be home" AJ said to him

"Are you coming to Raw tomorrow?" Vince asked her

"For my paperwork yes" AJ said to him coolly

"We'll have it ready for you" Vince said to her "I'm sure you'll want your attorney to look it over as well"

"That's right" AJ said with a smirk. Vince just nodded and left the room.

* * *

AJ was back home Tuesday morning and the first thing she did was fax over the legal work Vince had given her. They wouldn't announce her leaving until everything was finalized and both attorneys could agree on the settlement. Punk was Milwaukee for the day but he promised to come home early. He knew this was going to hit her hard because she had been so quiet the last two days since she told him it was all done.

When Punk arrived home he saw AJ's luggage was still in the hallway and usually Larry would come to the door barking to greet him but he must have been with AJ. He dropped his stuff by hers and walked further inside and frowned to not find her in the living room catching up on her shoes or in the kitchen. He jogged up the stairs and stopped at the bedroom when he heard her sniffling and Larry curled up next to her, she was crying. This was what he was afraid of, regretting the decision already.

"Ape" he announced walking into the room.

"Hey" she said quietly but not leaving her spot. She was laying on her side looking towards the window.

"Come on Larry" he said snapping his fingers and on cue the dog ran out of the room. Punk closed the door and crawled onto the bed and lay next to her, wrapping his arm around her to pull her close.

"They didn't even try" she cried lightly "They didn't blink an eye, they wanted me gone"

"They're stupid" Punk said simply "Also they know how stubborn you are and knew they wouldn't convince you to change your mind"

"No they just couldn't stand the sight of me" she said sadly "All the years I worked there for was nothing"

"It wasn't" Punk argued "People adore you, you've made history" he said to her "And I saw your last match after the game, you put over Bailey and kicked all kinds of ass. You got a better send off then I thought you would"

"I guess" She sniffled and then felt him kiss her cheek.

"I for one am proud of you" he whispered to her

"Thank you. You may be the only one" AJ said to him "Everyone knew Monday was my last day no one said a thing to me other then Paige and Trinity. Everyone actually seemed pretty happy. Like I was some sort of monster" she cried and rolled around to face him finally and his heart broke upon seeing her puffy eyes "You would have thought I was some sort of monster to everybody. This last year I didn't say a word to anyone back there I was a ghost"

"I know baby" he soothed moving her hair out of her face "They're assholes. They're mad at me and took it out on you"

"You didn't do anything to them either" she argued "I wasn't expecting a cake but a pat on the back would have been nice at least"

"I'll pat your back" He smirked causing her to finally smile slightly

"I know" She said with a smile while the tears still escaped her eyes

"What can I do?" he asked her seriously "How can I cheer you up?"

"I'll get over it I just need a day" she said to him "Go eat something and relax"

"I want to eat with you" Punk insisted

"I couldn't even if I tried" AJ said to him

"So we'll just stay up here until you get hungry" he said simply

"Would you still love me if I stayed hidden in here for a year?" AJ asked him and he smiled

"Yes" He said with a warm smile "But I wouldn't be happy about it. Take a week or so and just hide out, I don't blame you I did it" he reminded her "It's going to be ok." He kissed her forehead

* * *

As the news broke a few days later Punk had insisted that AJ stay off social media. She was getting a lot of love from the fans but also a ton of hate. Also Punk couldn't help but notice how most of AJ's colleagues didn't even bother to comment about it. A worked tweet from the Bella's wasn't going to cheer her up. Punk had decided that though she couldn't go on Twitter he could. He made sure to thank her and then proceed to block people for the next two days.

"What are you doing up?" AJ asked walking down the stairs. It was close to one in the morning and Punk was sitting in the living room next to Larry blocking away.

"Just checking some stuff out" Punk said to her

"I thought we agreed to stay off social media" AJ said giving him the eye

"I said you should stay off of it" Punk said to her "I didn't say I should"

"They're giving you a lot of shit" AJ said taking a seat next to him

"Good I can take it" Punk said as he scrolled his timeline

"So can I you know" She said giving him a reassuring smile

"I know I just don't want you to have to" Punk said and narrowed his eyes at one tweet in particular "I thought we agreed you wouldn't go on" he said to AJ as he began to type

"I also thought we agreed we wouldn't respond to these hateful messages" AJ said as she watched him type a response before snatching the phone out of his hand.

"Hey" He scolded

"If you respond to that stupid tweet Alex wrote you're giving him attention and that's exactly what he wants" AJ said to him

"I warned him when you first got that tattoo that if he made a crack about it again the next thing cracking would be his jaw" Punk said seriously "Now give me the phone"

"You can not tweet this" she laughed looking at his message "You can be arrested for threatening him"

"Not a threat" Punk said taking the phone back from her "A promise"

"Phil" She warned "You know everyone gave me a hard time about the tattoo when I first got it"

"Yea I remember the absolute ridiculous reaction you got" Punk remarked annoyed "And Mr. Riley in particular who has done nothing but take steps downs throughout his entire career was the first to say something and I warned him-"

"Phil let it go" she said to him "Besides no one has said anything about it, or this one" she said holding out her left hand to show off the tallied number 13 on her ring finger.

"They better not" he said grabbing her hand and kissing it lightly

"When are you getting a matching one?" she asked him

"When I don't have to wear gloves everyday to train and risk ruining it" Punk said to her "I'll get something else, something bigger. But enough about that what's on the agenda this week for you?"

"Well I'm going to have to unpack" AJ said to him "I have a meeting with my publisher"

"You're going to New York?" He frowned

"No she's coming out here" AJ said to him "And then I was thinking we could have dinner out one night? Maybe the Taco place?"

"Sounds good" he smiled "Colt has a comedy show at the end of the week…"

"You should go" AJ insisted

"I want you to go" Punk said to her "You'll have a great time. You always laugh at his stupid jokes. Don't worry I'll make sure no one bothers you"

"I have no doubt" she smiled wildly "Ok yea I'm in"

"Good" he said to her "Now what are you doing up?"

"Well I was wondering where you were because I was pretty sure we decided on having a baby-" before she could finish the thought Punk was already out of his seat and tossed his petite wife over his shoulder

"Didn't forget was just waiting for the all clear" he said running up the stairs with her while she laughed "Have I mentioned how happy to have you home?"

"Yea once or twice" she giggled while Larry chased after Punk barking.

This was her life now, being home with her husband and dog and hopefully a baby shortly. Any second thoughts she may have had were gone when she stepped foot into her home. Being with her family was not only where she needed to be but more importantly where she wanted to be. She had an amazing career and no regrets because this was only the beginning, she had a lot more to do and now she had nothing holding her back.

* * *

**#thankyouAJ**


End file.
